Football team wins, plays for title Friday

Keith Lewisbillerica.sports@wickedlocal.com

Saturday

Oct 14, 2017 at 3:03 PMOct 17, 2017 at 11:45 AM

If legendary Celtics announcer Johnny Most were alive today, and doing the call at Friday night's football game between the Hawks and visiting Billerica Memorial High School in Waltham, the fourth quarter would have heard him blurting out, "Ricard stole the ball! Ricard stole the ball!" in his trademark rasp.

BMHS senior captain Mickey Ricard has made a lot of big plays this season, but perhaps none as big as the one he made less than a minute into the final quarter of Friday night's non-league football game at Waltham High.

With the score tied 7-7 and the home Hawks starting to regain momentum in a game featuring the ground attack from both sides, WHS stud back Anthony Davis took the ball from quarterback Nick Caliri at midfield. Then, instead of tackling the junior back Ricard, known for his numerous sacks, peeled the ball out of Davis' grip and ran back the other way. Doing his best impression of teammate Clifford Louis, Ricard outraced the Hawks to the end zone for a 52-yard score going in the books as a fumble recovery and game-winner in a 14-7 victory that upped Billerica's record to 4-2, with Merrimack Valley Conference Small rival Tewksbury on the horizon for next week at Calabrese Stadium.

Tewksbury's rude rolling of Chelmsford, 41-21, on Saturday set up a showdown in Billerica this Friday for all the marbles in the MVC’s Small Division title between the Indians and Redmen, but even though the Waltham tilt was of no consequence to that scenario, coming out with a win after a long struggle still was a positive for Friday night.

The reason the outcome came down to Waltham quarterback Nick Caliri's final pass of the game was that both teams had a chance of taking advantage of the opposition's stumbles, especially in the first 22 minutes, and failed to do so.

Waltham dominated the first half, especially at the line of scrimmage, as the Billerica defensive line initially had trouble containing a Hawk ground game that chewed up most of the first half and kept the ball away from the Indian offense. However despite controlling the clock and field, the Hawks could not score until the closing moments of the stanza.

On the other hand, the Hawks kept handing away the yards Davis and Caliri piled up in the first half with a series of costly penalties, including two on consecutive plays. Yet, the Indians were likewise unable to capitalize, failing twice to move the chains on fourth down, and losing the ball on their final drive on a fumble when a snap went awry.

Indian coach Duane Sigsbury took the heat for it.

"We should have punted twice," offered Sigsbury. "We didn't. I take the blame for that."

As much as the offense struggled in the first half, however, the defense, led by Ricard and Sam Sartell, forced Waltham's attack into similar woes. The Hawks also failed twice on fourth-down conversions, and were not able to even come close to Billerica's red zone until the end of the half, leading to the only score until the break.

Billerica kicked off to start the game, but did not see the ball for seven and a half minutes, thanks to the elusive Caliri and Davis. But the main reasons the Hawks only got as far as midfield in that stretch, despite a 21-yard run by speedy Chris Gomez, were their penalties and a stalwart defense led by Ryan Quinn that included a 2-yard loss inflicted by Billerica senior Caden Denehy.

Billerica punted on its first possession, however, but another costly penalty forced Waltham to do likewise. The Indians did better their second series thanks to a pair of Tom Landry (10-for-13, 118 yards) to Morgan Mulkerin (8 receptions, 115 yards) connections, but a fourth-down conversion ended when Waltham's Carl Renaudin burst through the line and hit Landry's arm mid-pass, sending it sideways.

Waltham then ate another six minutes of time on its next series, taking the ball from the Billerica 40 to the 12 before Ricard threw a running Caliri for a 9-yard loss on fourth- and-four. Defensive highlights in the series included three Sartell tackles and a big stop by senior captain Ryan Higgins on a run up the middle inside the 20.

Billerica turned over the ball on its second play, giving the Hawks first down on the Indian 13, and four plays later, Caliri went a yard over left tackle, with Sevag Aboyan's kick creating a 7-0 lead with 15 seconds on the clock.

With Pat Quinn (44 yards in 6 carries, all in the second half) taking over ball carrying duties and the offensive line solidifying, the Indians finally started moving the ball in the second half. It was their turn for a sustained drive after the opening kickoff, a 13-play series covering almost five minutes getting the ball to the Waltham seven before a fourth-and-two fumble gave the Hawks a reprieve.

Thanks to Ryan Quinn Waltham couldn't move the ball after recovering on its 17, and the Indians took over on the 26. Clifford Lewis (52 yards, 14 carries) then took it the rest of the way, first on a 7-yard burst straight up the middle and then a 20-yard score over right guard. Ian Gibbons' point-after kick knotted the score at seven with 3:29 left in the third.

"I thought we played better the second half," said Sigsbury. "We didn't do enough the first half, as the offensive line struggled. We were still making mistakes the second half, but we were moving the ball. Our defense was awesome tonight, though. They have a very talented team, with some tough players up front. But our guys were also very tough up front."

By the second half, Billerica tackles were coming from everywhere, including Brett Encarnacao sneaking in from the backfield for a big hit at the close of the third, and Nick Gualtieri on the kickoff somehow catching up to Gomez, Waltham's fastest player, to stem what could have been a huge return.

Waltham got another huge break at the start of the fourth, when Jared Ford blocked Kevin Kennedy's punt and Hawk Frankie Meuse pounced on the ball at the Billerica 42.

The Hawks sustained an illegal procedure call that pushed them back to the Billerica 47, and they handed the ball to Davis (10 carries, 29 yards). Davis ran over right guard as far as the Billerica 48 when he ran into Ricard and others closing in. Ricard came out of a scrum with the ball, out running the offense-now-defense to the end zone for his first varsity score.

"I just ripped it out and started running as fast as I could," grinned Ricard later. "I knew exactly what to do when I got it, and I was glad to help out on the scoreboard."

"He's tough as nails," said Sigsbury of his defensive leader, who will be joining the U.S. Army in 2018. "I'm very proud of him. He's protecting our goal line this year and next year, he'll be protecting our country."

Just 56 seconds into the final quarter, Ricard was protecting himself from his teammates, who were mobbing him on the sidelines as Gibbons lined up for the extra point that gave the locals the 14-7 lead and eventual victory.